Dynamic duo bedevil Portland

Whitney, Timmins lead Albany to a record sixth home win in row

Published 10:31 pm, Saturday, December 28, 2013

Devils' Seth Helgeson, center, controls the puck during their hockey game against the Portland Pirates on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)

Devils' Seth Helgeson, center, controls the puck during their hockey game against the Portland Pirates on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)

Photo: Cindy Schultz

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Devils' David Wohlberg, center, works the puck as Pirates' Lucas Lessio, left, and Daine Todd, right, defend during their hockey game on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union) less

Devils' David Wohlberg, center, works the puck as Pirates' Lucas Lessio, left, and Daine Todd, right, defend during their hockey game on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy ... more

Photo: Cindy Schultz

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Devils' Harri Pesonen, center, chases a loose puck in front of the net during their hockey game against the Portland Pirates on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union) less

Devils' Harri Pesonen, center, chases a loose puck in front of the net during their hockey game against the Portland Pirates on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / ... more

Photo: Cindy Schultz

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Devils' Dan Kelly, left, passes the puck as Pirates' Randy Jones defends during their hockey game on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)

Devils' Dan Kelly, left, passes the puck as Pirates' Randy Jones defends during their hockey game on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)

Photo: Cindy Schultz

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Devils' Artem Demkov, center, controls the puck during their hockey game against the Portland Pirates on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)

Devils' Artem Demkov, center, controls the puck during their hockey game against the Portland Pirates on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)

Photo: Cindy Schultz

Dynamic duo bedevil Portland

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Albany

As the game Saturday approached its midway point without a goal, the Albany Devils reached for their kindling.

Joe Whitney and Scott Timmins have been fire on ice for the Devils, who were ignited for a second straight game by their undersized duo to record their franchise-record sixth consecutive home victory.

Timmins found Whitney in the slot area for the game's first goal with 10:25 remaining in the second period as the Devils rode out a 4-1 victory over the Portland Pirates in front of a season-high crowd of 4,566 at Times Union Center.

In Friday night's 2-0 victory over the Adirondack Phantoms, it was Whitney, at 5-foot-6, who found Timmins, who is 5-11, in the slot to open the scoring.

"He's one of the most skilled players I've ever played with," said Timmins, sounding more like Whitney's agent than his linemate. "Playing with him is a blast. We always seem to know where each other are on the ice. I've never clicked with a player like that before."

Timmins, a September trade acquisition from the Florida Panthers, had missed 14 games because of a knee injury, returning to the lineup last weekend. He has at least a point in all four games since his return and in all but two games this season.

Whitney, the A-Devils' top scorer the past two years, continued to pile up points in Timmins' absence, but his presence seems to bring out the best in the 24-year-old center.

"He makes the right plays," said Whitney, 25, who raised his team-leading totals to 11 goals and 31 points. "He's got good skills. It's easy when you play with guys who know what they're doing and are smart players."

Albany had just failed on its fifth power-play opportunity of the game when Whitney got the train rolling. His wrist shot six seconds after a Portland penalty expired triggered a three-goal burst in 4 minutes, 49 seconds.

Just 95 seconds later, Timmins won an offensive-zone face-off and drew the puck back to rookie defenseman Seth Helgeson, whose first career goal (34 games) made it 2-0.

"There were a lot of calls made our way," said Helgeson, whose team was 0-for-8 with the man-advantage. "Maybe we didn't score on them, but we gained some momentum and rode that to scoring a few goals."

Mike Sislo gave the Devils a three-goal lead two seconds after the end of another Pirates penalty, and it was lights out. Albany is 16-0-0-0 this season when leading after two periods.

Keith Kinkaid, coming off his league-best fourth shutout Friday night, faced a barrage in the third. Albany was outshot 17-4, but Kinkaid still lowered his AHL-leading goals-against average to 1.92.

"He did a great job of fighting off some traffic and pucks," Devils coach Rick Kowalsky said. "A little different night than last night. He had some things in tight. He had to fight through traffic and find his way to seeing some shots."

The Devils finish their first of 11 three-games-in-three-days stretches Sunday at Bridgeport, but Kinkaid will rest. Whitney and Timmins will not.

"They're obviously key guys for us," Kowalsky said. "That chemistry has been there from Day 1."